This melody can be traced back to a secular song “Begierlich in dem Herzen mein” [“The lustful desires in my heart”] from about 1410. It appears for the first time connected to Martin Luther’s sacred chorale text based upon Psalm 12 in Johann Walter’s “Enchiridion” (zum schwarzen Horn) Erfurt, 1524.

In order to determine the original form of the melody without access to Walter’s “Enchiridion”, it is necessary to examine a number of sources which claim that they have cited the original melody.

The NBA gives the original melody from 1524:

Referring only to the year, 1524, Terry-Williams gives the picture of the melody:

The Bärenreiter Pachelbel edition and the EKG give the original source:

Michael Praetorius (1571-1621), at the end of volume 3 of his “Syntagma musicum”[Wolfenbüttel, 1619], indicates that he has for sale printed music for “Ach Gott vom Himmel sieh darein” for 2 and 4 voices, but also larger festive settings for 2, 3, 4, 5 Chori (referring to choirs of instruments as well as voices) with 4, 6, 12, 16, and 20 voices (p. 204). (Unfortunately no score samples available)

It first appeared in print with 6 verses in the “Achtliederbuch” in 1523/24, but was originally sung to the melody “Es ist das Heil uns kommen her” [Zahn 4430.] However, soon thereafter, the same 6 verses appeared in Johann Walter’s “Geystliche Gesangk Buchleyn” (1524) to another melody [Zahn 4432a]. The first time the text of all 6 verses was combined with the present melody used by Bach [Zahn 4431] was in the “Erfurter Enchiridion” also in 1524. This latter edition contained a 7th verse which does not occur in Bach’s music. Luther’s chorale text is a free adaptation in poetic form of Psalm 12. [1]

David Denicke (1603-1680) was born in Zittau, Saxony, taught law at the Universities of Jena and Königsberg (Kalinengrad), was the private tutor of royalty at the Braunschweig Court in Herzberg (in the Harz region) in 1642 he became ‘Konsistorialrat’ (a high administrative position in the church) in Hannover and was also the Abbot in Bursfelde. There are still two of his chorale texts in the present-day EKG: “Herr, für dein Wort sei hochgepreist” and “Nun jauchzt dem Herren, alle Welt!”

The NBA has also recommended that verse 8 of Denicke’s chorale text O Gottes Sohn, Herr Jesu Christ be used for the untexted 4-pt. chorale setting of BWV 77/6. The 8th verse begins with “Herr, durch den Glauben wohn in mir.” This would be a replacement for Carl Friedrich Zelter’s choice: the 8th verse of Denicke’s chorale text Wenn einer alle Ding verstünd (1657.) That verse begins “Du stellst, mein Jesu, selber dich.” This latter chorale text does not appear in any of the hymnals that Bach might have used.

[1] The original documents copied by copyists under Bach’s direction give the title without a comma, which is also true of many of the early sources. Editors, including the NBA, have attempted to make it agree with modern German orthography by including the comma after ‘Gott.”